Inaugural Champions League put back due to Trophy clash

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The inaugural Twenty20 Champions League has been postponed until December due to fears it could undermine next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

The Champions League, originally scheduled from Sept. 29 to Oct. 8, would have started on the reserve day for the Champions Trophy final. But it will now be held from Dec. 3-10, organisers said in a statement on Thursday.

The Indian, Australian and South African boards are jointly staging the $6 million, eight-team Champions League.

Last week the International Cricket Council (ICC) asked them to review the dates because the competition involved many international players and the governing body's rules prohibits major events until a week after an official tournament.

"While the Champions League Twenty20 is a domestic tournament not affected by ICC rules, we have agreed to the ICC request as a gesture of goodwill," organisers added.

The top two domestic Twenty20 teams from India, Australia and South Africa plus English champions Middlesex and Pakistan winners Sialkot will contest the league.